jkb
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Posts posted by jkb
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Igor
A couple of thoughts that came to me while using PTE today.
1. I would love to be able to click and drag the grey transition bars inside the Objects and Animation screen to alter the in and out transitions
2. To be able to see the effect of the transitions when the Play button is clicked in the Objects and Animation screen
3. To be able to turn off objects, again in the Objects and Animation screen, so they are temporarily invisible and not selectable. (until turned on again)
4. To be able to highlight more than one keypoint to move them along together in the O&A
5. I have raised this before, but seeing as I am talking exclusively about the O&A I'll repeat it here. To have the objects section looking like photoshop, with a thumbnail of the objects and the facility to drag and drop up and down the stacking order.
Please, no replies about work arounds, these are just ideas for Igor to consider.
Yes Please. Agree with them all.
Plus what I mentioned in the the other Thread about O&A window.
Jill
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I also would welcome the Waveform & the ability to see multiple objects keypoints.
Perhaps rather than colour coding & having them all on one line, which could get very complicated, a separate line for each object could be shown.
That way it would be easy to see when you need keypoints on several objects to correspond.
If possible a scrolling vertical list would be nice. Such as in a Multitrack sound editor like Audacity.
The other 'essential'
feature/s would be to group keypoints & move them as a block, like we can with slides on the Timeline and to be able to expand the Timeline in the O&A window using CTRL+F11 & CTRL+F12These features would greatly enhance & speed up production times.
Jill
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The flicker is a direct consequence of the Windows graphics card point I made in post #4. The "Run Slideshow with Return" feature was introduced by Igor into, I think, v5 as a means of eliminating the problem. The only downside is that all the EXE files of the sequences (menu and those driven from it) have to have been "Created" using the exact same version of PTE. Since I keep all the files for all my sequences, I find this no great hardship. I simply build the customized menu for that audience and create its EXE file; then open the project file for each of the chosen sequences and do a Publish EXE in v7.0.1 (Create EXE as it was in versions up to 6.5), ensuring that all the EXE files get saved into the same folder as the menu EXE.
I'm not suggesting you change your approach, but you might care to investigate this alternative method to see if it resolves the flicker issue for you.
regards,
Peter
Peter, I agree & this works fine if you are only playing your own sequences & have the time to remake them all & ensure that they all play exactly as they did!
However think of the situations such as Competitions or public events where you are playing sequences created by many different people. It is not possible to recreate all of them.
I too miss the fade in/out that we used to get in v4.
The other option which I use, is that for your Menu, untick the 'use hardware acceleration'. This prevents the abrupt flicker, but is only suitable for a static menu without any animation.
The other option I miss, is that with v4 when you had a slide with a Button,as in a Menu, the Mouse Cursor would automatically appear when that slide was shown. Now you have to set the whole project to show Mouse Cursor, which I do not like doing.
So if it is possible to make it work the way it used to then please Igor can you do so.
Jill
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Why not edit the video in an external program to the size you require, then bring that into PTE.
This also has the advantage of keeping the file size down.
Jill
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Yes you can. As long as the computer it is playing back on can handle it.
Make sure your slide file sizes are small. 200k-300k is perfectly adequate for a 1024 x 768 slide. Obviously bigger for a larger screen size.
I usually have all my 'screen times' to about 1/10th of a sec, that way you can ensure they won't overlap.
Best way is to use the Timeline, expand the visible view - using CTRL+F11 so you can see as much as you need.
Then click on the slide number & drag it back to the position you want.
Or you can extend the transition time by putting the mouse at the end of the grey bar (it changes to a double headed arrow) and then drag the grey bar to the position you want.
CTRL+F12 will reduce the visible size of the Timeline again so you can see more slides.
Press the Spacebar to play from where you want.
Hope this helps.
Jill
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Perhaps we are all losing sight of what is really important.
It doesn't matter at all what the numbers say, or how they are calculated.
It is what happens on screen that is the important thing.
And that is achieved artistically by human input.
A machine can never (well hopefully) replace that.
How you get there is up to you, just as long as the machine (program) is consistent in what it does.
Jill
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Having thought a bit more about the logic of this new timing I think (& no doubt someone will correct me if I am wrong!
) Maybe it should have a different name & work in a different way.People keep talking about having 2 transitions linked to a slide, the incoming & the outgoing.
So if a slide is set to effect 2 & duration 7 you get 2/7/2 on the timeline. Ok so far. (This should of course read 'Slide View' not 'Timeline' Sorry if that has caused anyone any confusion)
If you then change the 2nd transition to be 3 you get 2/8/3 Again ok so far.
Now if you move this slide to a new position, perhaps what you really want (& what does actually make some sense) is to keep the durations - plural.
So what you want to move is the complete 2/8/3 ie. keeping both the incoming & outgoing transition durations with the slide.
So for 3 slides - initial times of 2/7 2/7 2/7 (which is actual screen times of 2/3 2/3 2/5)
You amend slide 3 to have 3sec effect so you get 2/7 2/8 3/7 (actual times of 2/3 2/3 3/4
You then move slide 2 to to position 1
So perhaps what you really want is 2/8 3/7 2/7 (actual times of 2/3 3/2 2/5)
thus preserving the incoming & outgoing transition times & on screen duration of the original slide 2.
Instead what we are getting now is 2/8 2/7 3/7 (actual times of 2/4 2/2 3/4)
So the outgoing transition & on screen time are NOT being preserved with a slide when it is moved.
Perhaps if it worked in this way & was renamed 'Keep following effect duration' It might make more sense to people.
Mind you if you also want to keep the outgoing effct Type as well...... then it really does get complicated!
But as it is so easy to just drag the grey bars on the timeline to amend effect duration/screen times I still wonder why we are trying to get it to happen automatically?
Jill
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I agree with Peter on this one.
Watch almost any film & the transitions between shots/scenes are almost always cuts (snap changes).
Having two moving images dissolve into each other leads to a mess on the screen.
If you need to use a transition, then do it over frames that do not have any intrinsic movement.
Keep things simple & only use effects if they add to the overall impression of a show.
Do not use them simply because they are there & you want to show how clever you are at being able to use every trick in the book!
Jill
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I've been viewing this from the sidelines as I haven't yet moved on from PTE 6.04 as the sound additions & video have not been needed in my shows. However as an avid PTE follower I opened your file and noticed that it contains a couple of WAV files which I believe can cause PTE problems. Have you tried converting these to MP3 and checking the results???
Yachtsman1.
PTE can handle WAV or MP3.
The reason we use MP3 is to keep the overall file size down.
Jill
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Sorry, this is not a problem, it is a "feature"
With the new definition of slide duration, and the requirement of keeping the duration fixed, this "feature" is a natural consequence. This has been obvious from the beginning (see post 4 above). You cannot have fixed transition points and fixed new durations at the same time 
The new duration model (I said this before) has its side effects that cannot be avoided.I would like to a agree with DaveG to "Remove the 'Keep Full Slide Duration' tickbox from the User Interface". This would have the advantage that we could untick it and neved look at it again!
Regards,
Xaver
Xaver,
How can simply swapping the position of 2 slides & having the overall time of the show change be a feature?
I did not change any durations when moving the slides, I simply moved their position in the list.
This should have no effect whatsoever on the overall timings.
I am sure that many users move slides around while they are building up a show.
Whichever method of timing you choose to use, the overall length of the show should not alter unless you ask it to.
Nor should the starting point of slides not moved.
Sorry but this is a bug, not a feature.
I also agree that the 'keep full slide duration' should be moved from the main screen.
It should also be project dependant. So if a project is started with unticked it should remain unticked each time you open that project.
At the moment it keeps what ever the last setting was when you closed down PTE.
So it appears to be a system parameter, rather than a project parameter.
This will cause even more problems if the user is expecting it to work one way & it is actually working the other!
Jill
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Igor,
Thank you for the demo pte.
I have amended this to include some animation & sound effects at the start & end of the show.
Note the first sound effect starts at 1.5secs exactly when slide 2 starts to appear.
The end sound effect is exactly with the last slide (blank). Slide 1 is also a blank (normal procedure in an AV).
This starting point pte is made with 'keep full slide..' unticked so follows v6.5 timings.
Try moving the 3 middle slides around.
All effects remain in their correct place with the slide/video.
Slide 2 always starts with the first sound & the last sound is always with the last slide.
Keep looking at the Timeline to check.
Now reopen this starting pte but tick the 'keep full slide...' box.
Timings now work as v7.0.1
First run & all is as it should be.
But now try moving the 3 middle slides around.
You will see (& hear) that the position of slide 2 moves & so does the end blank slide.
The sound effects no longet coincide with the correct point in the show.
Check the Timeline to see what has happened.
Yes the individual animations on the slides/video still work correctly, but slide2 & the last slide move their physical start points.
Note that the duration of slide 1 does not always change when slide 2 changes, following the logic of the new timings it should.
Also try adding extra slides in both versions, again you will see that in v7.0.1 the timings do not follow the expected logic.
Altering the position of the middle slides within a show should not affect the overall timing or the relationship with the start/end sounds.
I hope that this demonstrates that there is still a problem with the new timing system, but the old system works perfectly.
Regards Jill
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Igor,
I can see the effect you describe, but this does NOT happen with the old timings on my pc but DOES happen using the new timings.
The old system works perfectly no matter where you move the video/animations. Also you can change the following effect durations without altering the ending of the video or animation.
Could you possibly post the PTE file so we can try out the effects ourselves. Using a small video or animation.
Thanks
Jill
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If you want the increase of the slide three duration to have no effect on slide two then you have to alter the duration of slide two to 7.5 seconds.
It's a different way of thinking.
DG
Dave, the whole point of altering the slide effect duration is to give a longer (or shorter) transition. The overall time of the slide is not altered.
When timing slides to music the start & end of each slide is crucial.
The transition time is set to give the best effect on screen & to flow with the music.
Amending the transition (effect) duration should NOT alter the actual physical position of a slide on the Timeline.
Jill
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See also my reply under 'Changes in Slide Duration' page 8
The old sytem works, the new does not
Jill
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Igor,
I am sorry but I have to disagree.
1. Adding video with the old timings works perfectly, the video runs to the end & is not cropped. Moving it to another position has no effect. A 20sec video stays at 20sec no matter where it is placed.
However with the new timings the end of the video is cropped by the next incoming transition.
2. With a slide having complex animation (& I have made several AV's with some very complex animation in v6.5)
The old timings work perfectly, you can move the slide & the timings stay as expected, even when an animation overlaps onto the next slide. So a keypoint is on the grey part for the next slide.
However again with the new system, moving a slide with animation & the timings are not preserved.
So the old system works the new does not.
Jill
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I agree there are still BUGS.
It does appear a lot better, but with 'keep full....' ticked amending the effect duration moves the start position of the slide.
So add 3 slides of 7/2, overall duration 17 secs.
Slide 3 starts at 10 secs. Increase the effect duration to 2.5 secs & it moves the start position from 10secs back to 9.5 secs.
Jill
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Peter, glad that it is not just me!!!
Jill
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Further to this discussion about the effect of "Keep full slide duration" in v7.0.1 beta. PTE does not hold this value across PTE close/re-launch. On my system, it always comes up unticked at every PTE restart. If it was a project option, it would come up with its previous value set. If it was a system option it would come up with its value set. It doesn't come up with its previous value set; so, what kind of option is it?
regards,
Peter
On both my Vista Laptop & XP desktop it does hold the value between closing & reopening PTE.
Maybe Win7 is working differently for some reason
Jill
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Having sorted out the AVG problems I had hoped (just maybe) that this may have been causing the problems in PTE.
I have just uninstalled v7 & re downloaded & installed on my Vista Laptop.
However the faults are still there.
Added 3 slides with default times of 7/2 & 'keep full slide..' is unticked - so would expect an overall time of 21secs.
Switiching to timeline using the button, overall time is 17 secs!! So it is working as v7.0.1
Both View & F6 alternate the 'keep full...' between ticked & unticked
Amending the last slide duration as in my previous posts, it is again moving the start position of the slide instead of increasing the duration.
Closing PTE & Starting a new Project, this time ticking the 'keep full slide...' box. Add 3 slides with default 7/2 & this time I get a duration of 21secs.
So it appears to be working in reverse, which is what happened the very first time I downloaded this beta.
However with the 'keep full slide...' box ticked amending the last slide effect duration works as expected & just increases the length without moving the start position of the slide.
I don't use Templates and closing & reopening PTE several times & even rebooting the Laptop the problems still persist.
It appears to be working in reverse - unticked is v7.0.1 & ticked is v6.5
Jill
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Jill,
What exactly do you mean by this? In which view are you when you do this? Which "box" are you clicking? Whatever I try, I end up with the "Customize Slide" window open and the mouse wheel just scrolls through the various effect possibilities. Your statement implies that you have found a way of changing the values without leaving the PTE main window.
regards,
Peter
Peter, in the main window, each slide now has a little box above it with the effect duration & a box on the bottom right of each slide with the duration. Click in these boxes & you can amend the time by scrolling the mouse wheel. It changes in increments of 1/2 sec. You can also use the Customise Slide window & again clicking in the duration (main tab) or effect duration (effect tab) the mouse wheel changes the times by 1/2 sec. Or you can just type directly into the boxes.
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I have just updated AVG to database 2090/4548 & the problem now seems resolved.
Having just installed this version late last night I would have thought it would have had the latest version of the database. 4548 was just released at 07:39 this morning.
Had hoped that this may have cured some of the other problems I have been having with PTE but sadly it does not appear to be the case.
Jill
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Harold,
Consider upgrading to AVG 2012 FREE.
The False Positive is resolved in 2012 FREE.
DG
I have just upgraded to AVG 2012 FREE & it has not cured the problem.
I just tried to Publish & it flagged up 2 of my existing sequences as being infected. Both of these were created (I think) with v6.5.
Just going to the folder in Windows Explorer which contains these exe's brings up the AVG virus threat warning. Yet all the others in the same folder are ignored.
Running on laptop with Vista.
Jill
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Ken, you can easily have it so you can see the whole video without any overlapping transitions. Just specify an offset of the length of the slide, say 2secs which is the default & make sure that the slide duration is long enough for the video to play.
So for a 10sec video, if the effect duration is 2secs then make sure the slide duration is 12secs & give the video a 2sec offset (in the O&A window)
I agree with you, keep it simple!
If I am correct in remembering, the early versions of PTE did not include the effect in the slide duration. They were seperate as you are suggesting.
Jill
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Could it have been a corrupt download?
Both installations from the same corrupted download?
I think that during a demo situation I would start a new project to demonstrate each of the two methods?
DG
As there is only one download link, I assume you have used the same download & as I have installed 3 times, once on desktop & twice on laptop, the chances of getting the same corruption each time are very slim.
Even closing & restarting PTE & starting new projects these problems occur on both machines. They are just unpredictable as to when they occur.
I have also tried on a different user on my laptop & they still occur. I have one user setup for giving talks, basic system, with internet & as much else as possible switched off. And a user that I use for normal purposes. Both have Administrator access.
Having been a Programmer & Systems tester in my working life I am used to following through problems & checking carefully what happens.
Jill
Transitions in O&A
in Suggestions for Next Versions
Posted
Dave,
Copy the following image as an object into the slide you are working on.
Reduce the opacity so you can get the alignment you require.
Then when happy with it, Reset the Opacity back to 100%, cut from this slide, paste back into the next & delete the original.
Jill